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The entry which begins, "I find this in my notes" (see images 35, 36, and 38) was revised and used in

leafhandwritten; A scrap of Civil War memoranda headed "51st N Y V" in which Whitman mentions the death of Captain

Kirkwood and is the money spoken of in my letter from Copake. The other $1 is from John D. Martin.

Friend Whitting, Sir, We received your kind and welcome letter inquiring for my boy Billy and in reply

Dear brother I hardly know what to say to you in this letter for it is my first one to you but it will

not be my last I should have written to you before but I am not a great hand at written and I have ben

very buisy fixing my tent for this winter and I hope you will forgive me and in the future I will do

I send you my love and best wishes. Good by from Your Brother, Sergt Thomas P Sawyer P.S. 

want more than two or three days)—I want to see George, (I have his photograph on the wall, right over my

probably George will come out & see her, & that if he does you will send her word beforehand— Jeff, my

best way to enjoy a visit home, after all—When I come home again, I shall not go off gallivanting with my

& more shaky—how they can make any headway against our new, large & fresh armies next season passes my

it was made to me only as there was no one else in hearing at the moment—(he is quite an admirer of my

afterwards that he (the sick man) had not eat so much at a meal, in three months—Mother, I shall have my

My Dear Friend Walter I now take my pen to Write you a few lines to let you know that I am Well and I

opens We Will have enof to do I think that this summer is agoing to settil this War I am Willing to do my

a week —so I thought I would write you a few lines now, to let you know— Mother, I suppose you got my

want to go down in camp once more very much—& I think I shall be back in a week—I shall spend most of my

you are well & in good spirits & Jeff & Mat & all, & dear little California & Hattie—I send them all my

biography, The Ferry Boy and the Financier (Boston: Walker and Wise, 1864); he described their meetings in My

Though Trowbridge was not an idolator of Whitman, he wrote to O'Connor in 1867: "Every year confirms my

Friend Walter, Sir accordain to promis I now embrace this opportunity of informing you of my Safe arrival

My Friends gave me a warm reception Such as how are you Bush got robed did you &c I told them how it

I had the pleasure of meeting my Capt G.

laugh at me for not being sharper I told them it would be all right in cours of time live & learn is my

If you dont I do and I long for to see mine very much and I think she will want to see me— give my letter

always find they like to have me very much, it seems to do them good, no doubt they soon feel that my

away some gay tunes now, though it is quite late at night—Mother, I dont know whether I mentioned in my

region, makes a good officer—Mother, I could get no pen & ink tonight—Well, dear Mother, I send you my

army as a first lieutenant in the Eighty-fourth New York Infantry on May 23, 1861, and was appointed captain

Somerville February 12, 1864 My dear Walt Whitman.

I have seen the new moon over my right shoulder to some purpose lately.

Give my love to the O'Connors. Good bye. Your friend, J. T. Trowbridge John T.

biography, The Ferry Boy and the Financier (Boston: Walker and Wise, 1864); he described their meetings in My

Though Trowbridge was not an idolator of Whitman, he wrote to O'Connor in 1867: "Every year confirms my

On October 18, 1863, Babbitt was depressed—"dark clouds seem to be lying in my pathway and I can not

remove them nor hide them from my mind"—until he mentioned his beloved, Nellie F.

Of the O'Connors, Thomas Jefferson Whitman wrote on June 13, 1863: "I am real glad, my dear Walt, that

Our captain though[t] he would run the risk and save the time (it takes some time longer to go through

gather something about his early relationship with Walt on the basis of the latter's short sketch, "My

Friend Walt, I have been setting at the foot of what I call my bed idoly speculating, on the past, and

met and called them Friends how often the word Friend, is missplace, but you have told me you were my

Friend and called me your young Friend, I thank you for that priveledge from the inmost recess of my

camp, expecting to meet you there I was sorrowfully disapointed on my arrival there to find that my

little Wife and my home, to enjoy a few of your leisure hours cheerfully.

He was promoted to full captain in the 25th New York Cavalry on 1 Jul 1864.

duty is verry hard now on our regiment especily for it is pretty small well now I will have to close my

letter by saying good by my dear friend walt Bethuel Smith to Walt Whitman, 28 February 1864

I have made up my mind that the camp hospitals are pretty well cleaned out, the worst cases are here

The more I see of them in the Army, the higher & broader my estimate of them.

So, doctor, I still remain here in Washington, occupying my time nearly altogether among the wounded

for somehow I was thinking from your letters lately whether you was as well as usual or not—write how my

army this spring, to the utmost—they are sending down many to their reg'ts that are not fit to go, in my

Washington—We have had quite a snow storm, but is clear & sunny to-day here, but sloshy, I am wearing my

On March 6, George wrote to his mother: "I found my trunk up at Fort Schuyler all right the morning I

My Dear Sir I had the honor to recive the fiew lines you addressed to me, which was delivered by my particular

In my humble opinion there is nothing so well calculated to inspire a soldier with new courage and fresh

acquaintance may ripen into a mutual attachment The preasent you sent me I received for which accept my

I found my trunk up at Fort Schuyler all right the morning I left home.

Please to remember me to Miss Lowell Brown , Benedict, Bartlett, & Chas Cate —also to all others of my

Surprised to learn that I am in Washington but here I am and will try and give you a few details of my

"Iron Co." and only returned last Monday night. since then I have been very much engaged in getting my

On my return Mat told me all about it.

My hospital ministrations are very fascinating with all of their sadness.

by him soothing him, he was wandering all the time, his talk was so affecting it kept the tears in my

I took out an agreement for Mothers and my names at $19 33 per month Did you get my letter enclosing

Mother, every thing is the same with me, I am feeling very well indeed, the old trouble of my head stopt

& my ears affected, has not troubled me any since I came back here from Brooklyn—I am writing this in

Major Hapgood's old office, cor 15th & F st., where I have my old table & window—it is dusty & chilly

seen, the arrival of the wounded after a battle, & the scenes on the field too, & I can hardly believe my

soldiers], down at the depot—[It w]as one of the same [old] sights, I could not keep the tears out of my

lately as though I must have some intermission, I feel well & hearty enough, & was never better, but my

—I] wish you would write very so[on again] too—I feel uneasy about [you]—I send my love to Jeff & Mat

not worry & feel unhappy about money matters—I know things are very high—Mother, I suppose you got my

believe I worry about worldly things less than ever, if that is possible)—Tell Jeff & Mat I send them my

Whitman is possibly referring to Captain John Mullan.

I should like for Jeff (some time when he is over in New York) to stop at the place where I had my pictures

I believe I have written all that I can think at present so good bye Mamy,  give my love to Mattie, Jeff

somewhat impressed, but I could not see any thing in it worth calling supernatural—I wouldnt turn on my

could write— Wednesday forenoon—Mother, I didn't get the letter in the mail yesterday—I have just had my

breakfast, some good tea & good toast & butter—I write this in my room, 456 Sixth st.

April 7/64— father i have been here to se yo and yo was not at home i leave my best wishes hoping yo

infantry, that wouldn't do the same, on occasion— Tuesday morning April 12th Mother, I will finish my

envelopes, & one to George—Write how you are, dear Mother, & all the rest—I want to see you all—Jeff, my

sis is—I am well as usual, indeed first rate every way—I want to come on in a month, & try to print my

enclose you $50.00 and am sorry that I cant send you more, but Mother if you need more before I get my

I have a nice wall tent all alone to myself and if I have some one to look out for my grub, I shall be

Mother I believe I mentioned in my last letter about your haveing some of my pictures taken and sent

Dear Mother, give my love to all and let me hear from you often. Direct Capt G. W. W.  

The boys had the devils own time to keep from getting swamped,  I just fixed my bunk so there was no

danger of my getting drowned, and then turned in and slept till it stopped raining.

been there since last Sept)  Pooley is here and just as good natured as ever,  McReady is 2d Lieut of my

Made Captain Aug. 1864—got a family in Buffalo" (Walt Whitman Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript

after a long spell of rain storms, but the last two or three days very fine—Mother, I suppose you got my

every thing to fight for their last chance—calling in their forces from southwest &c—Dear Mother, give my

love to dear brother Jeff & Mat & all—I write this in my room, 6th st— Walt Walt Whitman to Louisa Van

Whitman: I have been very much interested in your hospital work, of which I have heard through my brother

it, are very serious about it—Mother, it is serious times—I do not feel to fret or whimper, but in my

—& how the dear little girls—Jeff, I believe the devil is in it about my writing you, I have laid out

Mother, I have just had my breakfast, I had it in my room, some hard biscuits warmed on stove, & a first

My friend, you must accept the men's thanks, through me.

My dear sir, your contributions are very, very welcome—they go to the direct sustenance, cheer, & comfort

wrote yesterday to Han, & sent one of George's last letters from Annapolis—Mother, I suppose you got my

blessing on him, he says, I am no scholar & you are—poor dying man, I told him I hoped from the bottom of my

—dear sister Mat, I quite want to see you & California, not forgetting my little Hattie too— Walt 2 o'clock

can know the men so well as I do, I sometimes think— Mother, I am writing this in Willard's hotel, on my

I sent my trunk from Annapolis to Washingt to our Sutler, who keeps a place in Washington  his name is

As Captain Whitman marched through Washington with his regiment, Walt Whitman walked beside him.

My wishes are that this may find you enjoying good health and plenty of kind friends to associate with

close by expecting to have a better opportunity of writing some thing else when you hear from me again My

On March 5, 1875, Farwell, who owned a farm in Michigan, wrote: "Walt my dear old Friend how I would

My wishes are that this may find you enjoying good health and plenty of kind friends to associate with

close by expecting to have a better opportunity of writing some thing else when you hear from me again My

know one bit more on what they are writing about than Ed does— Mother, you say in your letter you got my

I hear from him, before sending them— I remain well as usual—the poor fellow I mentioned in one of my

I send my love to you & Jeff & all—we are having a very pleasant coolish day here—I am going down to

post office to leave this, & then up to my old friends O'Connors, to dinner, & then down to hospital—Well

by, dear Mother, for present— Walt Tuesday afternoon 3 o'clock—Mother, just as I was going to seal my

is one reason why I had rather be sent to the Regiment I would not stay around this City the rest of my

My best wishes are with you for indeed I have found a Friend at last to the poor Soldier I will close

On March 5, 1875, Farwell, who owned a farm in Michigan, wrote: "Walt my dear old Friend how I would

Mother, of course you got my letter of Tuesday, 3d, with the letter from George dated Bristoe station—I

John Frederick Schiller Gray was a captain in the Twentieth New York Infantry and later held the same

Dear Father, As I always wish to fulfill my promises I will enjoy this afternoon in writing a letter

in order to let you know how I got home and how my health is So I left Washington that evening at 5 Oc

I went to the Soldiers Home and got my supper and took a good sleep I left Pittsburg a little after 2

to the door whar I had a grand interunion with my friends I found all of them in good health they were

If my friend is in the Hospital yet tell him I got home all right I guess I will close by biding you

Whitman asks Brown to allow Livensparger to read his letter and to tell him "that I sent him my love.

I felt as though it was my duty to go to him for he is one of the dearest brothers ever was given to